Reach Out
by Lamia of the Dark
Summary: Oneshot. Andromeda was not the only Black sister who ever considered running off with Mudblood trash. But once she did, Bellatrix couldn't. BellaxRodolphus.


**DISCLAIMER:** All things Harry Potter belong to JKR.

-- Reach Out --  
(And You May Take My Heart Away)

Andromeda was not the only Black sister who ever considered running off with Mudblood trash.

Narcissa was always the popular one, even when they were children. She was always the prettiest one, small and cute - the kind of girl that made boys want to treasure and protect her. Andromeda was smart and friendly and got along well with others in general. But there was something about Bellatrix that made boys her age want to pull her hair or trip her. There was only one boy, two years her elder, who never treated her that way. He quickly became her only friend.

Once they were at Hogwarts, things changed. Not so much for Andromeda or Narcissa, but Bellatrix matured into a vicious creature known for her violent outbursts of temper. Most of the Pureblood boys were afraid of her. She still had only one friend - Rodolphus Lestrange. Despite the fact that they were a male and female pair, their relationship never progressed past simple friendship. It probably would have if she'd pursued the option, but she wasn't socially adept enough to see the signs that he'd be willing.

In her sixth year, lonely without her only friend around, Bellatrix secretly starting fooling around with a Gryffindor Mudblood who'd had his eye on her since their fourth year. He was handsome - not to mention _skilled_ (although they carefully avoided going all the way) - but he was also completely and totally unsuitable in the eyes of her family and at the end of her seventh year she bid farewell to her lover - forever. Over the next year, she found herself pining for him intensely but somehow managed to resist the urge to do anything about it.

Bellatrix was eighteen and had been a productive member of society for a full year (although she was still living with her parents) when Andromeda got pregnant and ran off with Ted Tonks. Andromeda was not the only Black sister who ever considered running off with Mudblood trash. But once Andromeda had, Bellatrix couldn't. She couldn't put her family through the shame of losing TWO daughters that way. As the eldest, she'd always had more of a sense of duty than Andromeda had.

But that didn't mean she wasn't furious when she heard the news. She'd broken pretty much every breakable object in her room and was sobbing hysterically when strong male arms suddenly closed around her.

"I heard about what happened," he said, crushing her against his chest.

She knew even before she heard his voice that it was Rodolphus. His presence was one of the few things that could calm her rages, and she was grateful for it now.

"What am I supposed to do now?" she whined, once her sobs had subsided. "Now that Andromeda's run off with that… that…" But she couldn't think of a word foul enough to define what Ted Tonks was. "Mother is going to be putting even more pressure on me to make a respectable Pureblood marriage now, but there isn't anyone that I can-"

"Yes, there _is_," Rodolphus said forcefully.

She looked up at him in confusion.

"Who?"

He sighed sadly. "Oh, Bella… Do you really not know?"

She was going to answer no, but then she saw the way he was looking at her and she understood. He'd meant himself.

He saw her expression change as she realized that he'd loved her all along, ever since they were children.

He leaned down and kissed her and, as he hoped she would, she accepted the kiss and passionately returned it.

Mrs. Black knew about her eldest daughter's temper, of course, and became suspicious when Bellatrix suddenly went quiet. She went up to her daughter's room, half-expecting to find that Bella had also run off.

What she DID see was Bellatrix half-undressed in the arms of Rodolphus Lestrange (who was also half-undressed) and in a very compromising position.

Bellatrix wasn't aware that her mother was watching as she gasped out between kisses, "If you break it, you'll have to marry me."

"I was planning on it."

Well, it looked like the Black family didn't have to worry about losing their eldest daughter to some unsuitable piece of trash...

-end-

**Reviews are love.**


End file.
